High design isn’t something that is out of reach anymore, and having the right chair has become as de rigueur as having the current bag or shoe. But there are some people who might be a little too slavish in their worship at the altar, especially if it’s one-of-a-kind and carved by George Nakashima. Here, a few experts list the tip-offs that tell you you’ve entered the home of a true “design junkie.”

ROBIN STANDEFER AND STEPHEN ALESCH, Principals of architecture firm Roman and Williams1. Something nearby that was once living: buffalo fur, hippo skull, big black raven, caribou hide, skeletons, a hedgehog. 2. A library of well-worn design books, dog-eared with broken spines.3. A custom Versalab coffee grinder. 4. Beautiful, substantial and extraordinary windows. Beefy expensive windows are a sign of devotion.5. Three dozen somethings from your grandmother. It could be cameras, clam shells or gold bullion.6. Anything from Wyeth.7. A found object from a faraway place that did not fit in their suitcase: driftwood the size of a man, a 100-pound chunk of coal, a 40-foot piece of rope the thickness of an arm.8. Items with the largest age difference possible placed as close as possible. Nothing says design fanatic like a scrollwork chair from 1620 Denmark next to a new stereo.9. Something carved by Alexander Noll.

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